


A Hero In Training

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown First Series [19]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-26
Updated: 2006-05-26
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: Joshua is going to leave for Hero College. He and Samantha haven't talked in 2 months. Can they work out their differences?  Song included is Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie and MeatloafAs a heads up - Stephanie is a little older and Sportacus is a little younger.





	1. Chapter 1

**August 15, 2022 at 7:00 pm**

          Samantha sat cross-legged on the soccer field.  The slight breeze blew her long brown hair into her face and she pulled it behind her ears.  Tomorrow was the big game between her LazyTown Leopards and the FunTown Falcons.  It should have been a very exciting time.  FunTown always won but her coach had the feeling that she and the other girls could defeat the reigning champs.  Somehow, Samantha didn’t care.

          The sun still felt warm despite it getting lower in the sky.  Sunset was at least an hour and a half away.  Her parents probably wouldn’t come looking for her for at least that long.  Samantha’s thoughts reverted to almost two months ago when her parents finally explained everything.  At first she was angry.  Her family and friends had been hiding the truth from her.

_How could they?_   She thought to herself.  The feelings of resentment began to build again.  Quickly, she shook those thoughts from her head.  They were just trying to protect her. 

          _Bullshit!  They hurt you._   The angry thought crossed her mind.  Again she shook her head and tried to forget the feelings inside.  Dwelling on the past wasn’t going to help her.  Slowly she arose from her seat at midfield and decided that a little run would help her. 

          From the center of the field she ran to the outside and then proceeded to run toward the end of the field.  Rounding the first corner, Samantha sped up as she ran behind the soccer goal.  She continued at the same speed around the entire field.  Running allowed her to forget what was happening and only focus on what her body was doing.  She could detach herself and only think about the next step. 

          Finally after ten laps she slowed down and walked another lap.  Then Samantha walked over to the bench and grabbed her bottle of water.  She opened the top and drank a quarter of the bottle.  Closing the top and throwing back to the ground, the ten year old picked up her soccer ball and head for the closest net. 

          Once at the net, she jumped for the cross bar and smacked it with her fingertips.  Jumping a few more times, she managed to get the palm of her hands to smack the top bar.  Next she shuffled her feet back and forth along the goal line.  Speed was of the most importance when she was in net.  When she finished, Samantha grabbed her ball and began to practice her punting and throwing.  These two would be important tomorrow.  She was so wrapped up in her practicing she didn’t realize that Stephanie was coming up behind her.      

          “You should really tape down your laces.”  She said.  Samantha whirled around and saw her ‘aunt’ standing there.  The girl gave Stephanie a look.

          “What would you know about it?”

          “I know your mother showed me that it can make a difference.  It could mean hitting your fellow teammate or giving the ball away.”  Stephanie told her.  Samantha remained quiet and turned her back to the woman.

          “Listen, we need to talk.” 

          “About what?  You told him to lie to me.  I heard you.  Of all people, I hadn’t expected you and your husband to do that.”  Samantha turned to her.  Stephanie could see the anger rising in her face.

“The worst part was he listened after he promised me that he wouldn’t keep anything from me.  I hate you for it, I hate Sportacus for it, and I hate him for it.”  Samantha spat. 

          “Joshua did as we told him.  The reason he didn’t tell you anything was because we didn’t tell him anything.  His father and I knew that he’d tell you.  Your parents and Sportacus and I didn’t want you to have to deal with everything they were going through.”  Stephanie tried to explain.

          “So hiding the truth from me made it better?”  Samantha shot back.

          “No, it wasn’t the right way to go about it.  I’m sorry.  We’re all sorry.”  Stephanie hoped to calm her down.  Samantha took a deep breath.  She didn’t know what to say.  Somehow ‘sorry’ didn’t seem to be enough.

          “I could’ve handled it.  Everyone is always telling me how smart I am then why would you not trust me to understand?”  She finally asked.  Stephanie sighed; she had a point.

          “Listen, I know that the way we handled the situation was not the best.  I just want you to talk to Joshua.  Right now, he’s made the decision to go to Hero College and that would mean leaving in a few weeks.  I don’t want you guys to not be on speaking terms when he goes.  You two were so close and these past months have been ripping him apart.  He wants out of LazyTown and there is nothing we can do about it.  I just hope that you and he can patch things up.”  She said.

          “You really didn’t tell him anything?  He really wants out of LazyTown?”  Samantha asked.  Stephanie nodded and said,

          “Just think about it is all I’m asking.”  She turned and left Samantha standing on the soccer field. 


	2. Chapter 2

**August 16, 2022 at 8:30 am**

          The game would start in half an hour.  Both teams were warming up on their respective halves of the field.  Samantha scanned the crowd.  Joshua sat with his mother.  They were talking to her parents. 

          _He came to every game._   She thought.  Despite their huge argument, he had come to every game as he had promised.  Maybe there was a chance for her to talk to him. 

          _How could you after those horrible things you said to him?_   Samantha asked herself.  She wasn’t paying attention and her teammate, Justine, threw the ball at her.  It conked her in the head.

          “Ow!”  Samantha cried out.

          “Sorry!  Hey what’s going on?”  Justine asked her.

          “It’s my fault.  I wasn’t paying attention.”  Samantha replied.

          “Sam, you have to focus.  The game starts in fifteen.”  Justine told her.

          “You’re right.  Toss me the ball.”  Samantha said.

          “You gonna catch it this time?”  Justine asked.  Samantha rolled her eyes.

          “Throw it to me.” 

* * *

          Sportacus came to center field and blew his whistle.  He had been allowed to referee the championship game despite having obvious loyalty to the LazyTown Leopards.  The above average hero promised to be impartial and both sides had seemed satisfied but seeing as they needed at least two officials another was chosen to help officiate the game. 

          Both teams circled the two officials and listened to what they had to say.  Sportacus began to talk while the other official did an equipment check.

          “All right ladies.  You all know the rules.  No metal spikes, metal clips in your hair or big scrunchies.  We all want a fair game.  No tripping, slide tackling, or bad-mouthing.  Mr. Booth and I will call what we think is necessary and we will not be afraid to use the yellow and red cards.  Good luck ladies.  Captains stay here.”  Everyone returned to their respective benches. 

          Sportacus flipped a coin.  The FunTown Falcons won and they chose to defend the north end of the field.  Returning to their benches, the captains told everyone what end they were defending.  Both teams took the field and Sportacus shouted down to the FunTown goalie.

          “Are you ready?”  The girl raised her hand and Sportacus did the same signaling that they were ready.  Then he turned to Samantha and did the same thing.  When she signaled she was ready, the whistle was blown and the game began.

          The FunTown Falcons charged their way down the field.  Defenders for the Leopards challenged them at every turn.  Finally the ball was stolen away and the LazyTown Leopards started to make their way down the field. 

          Back and forth the two teams went; neither one gaining ground.  Finally, one of the Leopards made a mistake and a girl from the Falcons capitalized on it.  The girl came charging in on Samantha as the defense struggled to get back.

          Samantha came out on the charging player, hoping to cut the angle down.  This made the girl nervous and she tried to move away from Samantha but she was too close.  Quickly, she fired a shot that Samantha easily grabbed.  A cry went up from the stands. 

          The ball sailed through the air as it came off of Samantha’s foot.  She had taped her laces as Stephanie had suggested.  It was obvious that it had worked.  The ball landed right at Justine’s feet.  Quickly, the midfielder turned on the jets and shot up the field.  

          “One minute!”  Sportacus shouted.  This meant they only had one minute until the end of the half.  Justine passed the ball to Lindsay, another midfielder.

          “Defense!”  The Falcons goalkeeper shouted.  She noticed that they wouldn’t be in time and she came out to cut down Lindsay’s angle.  Lindsay made one swift move and the ball found Justine’s foot.  Quickly, the midfielder blasted it off towards the net. 

          “Ten seconds!”  Came another shout from Sportacus.  The Falcons goalie realized too late that she had overcommitted as the soccer ball found the back of the net.

          “GOAL!”  Shouted Mr. Booth, he then blew his whistle signaling for the ball to be returned to midfield.  The fans went wild in the stands. 

          “Halftime!”  Sportacus blew his whistle and the teams left the field.  Samantha and her teammates congratulated each other. 


	3. Chapter 3

The score was now even at one, with only about five minutes left.  Samantha stood in her net.  She could feel her palms beginning to sweat inside her goalie gloves.  The FunTown Falcons had underestimated their foes and she hoped that her LazyTown Leopards could finish the game before forcing overtime.

          Right now Samantha could see her teammate Sarah had the ball.  Sarah was the third of four midfielders and she had the strongest leg on the team.  If given the chance the midfielder could score from the center of the field. 

          Sarah passed the ball to Lindsay who passed it to the forward, Caitlin.  Caitlin made her way up field and kicked it toward the Falcons’ net.  The goalkeeper made a great save but couldn’t control the rebound.  Sarah was there and she blasted the ball home.

          A cry went up from the stands.  People were jumping up and down.  With only three minutes remaining the score was now two to one in favor of the Leopards.  The ball was placed at midfield and the Falcons started their charge toward LazyTown’s net.

          Samantha’s defense kept the charging players at bay and managed to get the ball to their midfielders.  However, someone misdirected the pass and the ball came flying back toward Samantha.  The girl snared the ball and hung on.  Quickly, she took three steps and punted the ball down the field. 

          “One minute!”  Sportacus shouted.  The Falcons’ forwards managed to steal the ball from the Leopards and ran down the field.  This was their last minute attempt to tie the game.  The opposing players easily made their way around the defense and took aim at Samantha. 

          Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as the forward broke away from the other players.  Samantha knew she was all alone and that she had to make the stop.  She charged out at the player.  The forward seemed to be losing control of the ball and she slid to try to get the ball around Samanatha.  It didn’t work.  Samanatha snared the ball just as the opposing player’s cleats made contact with the top of her head. 

          “Did I stop the ball?”  She asked to the people who had gathered around her.  It seemed like a stupid question considering she was lying on top of it.  Carefully, Sportacus peeled her arms off it and rolled her over.

          “Can you tell me your name?”  He asked.

          “I’m Samantha.”  She answered.

          “How old are you?”  The above average hero asked another question.

          “10.” Samantha said.  “My head hurts.”

          “I know.  Here let me help you.”  Sportacus smiled.  Carefully he lifted the girl up in his arms.  The crowd clapped, happy to see that she was up.   

          “Is there something wrong with my legs?”  Samantha asked.

          “No.  I just think its best you don’t try to move too much until the doctor can have a look at you.”  The above average hero told her.

          “Ok.”  She said.  Sportacus set her down on the bench and immediately Doctor Better checked her out.  Amanda and Robbie came down from the stands and listened to the doctor while the game restarted. 

          “Well no concussion.  I imagine she’ll just have a nasty headache.  Give her some Tylenol when you get her home.”  Doctor Better smiled.

          “Thank you.”  Robbie said shaking the doctor’s hand. 

          “No problem.  If the headaches don’t subside by tomorrow, call me.”  Doctor Better said.  Amanda was about to say something when the final whistle blew.  The game was over and the LazyTown Leopards had beaten the reigning champs. 

          The crowd cheered, the players jumped up and down.  Then the teams lined up to shake hands.  Everyone congratulated each other.  The girl that conked Samantha on the head came over to apologize.   

          “Sorry about that.  Hope you’re going to be ok.”  She said.

          “I’ll be fine.  Thanks.”  Samantha smiled.  The other girl smiled as well and then walked away.  Sportacus brought the trophy over to the winning team. 

          “It’s my pleasure to announce the 2022 champions of the Annual Summer Soccer Challenge is the LazyTown Leopards!”

          Everyone was excited and looking at the trophy.  However, the victory seemed hollow to Samantha.  Of course she could share it with her parents and teammates but something just didn’t seem right without Joshua.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that evening, Samantha lay in bed trying to decide what to do.  She felt very bad for the way she had treated Joshua.  At first, she thought he had lied to her.  Then when he told her the truth she didn’t believe him.  Now he was going to leave for Hero College and she would not see him for a few months.  Her thinking was interrupted by a knock on the door.

          “Come in.”  She called as she sat up.  The door opened slightly and Joshua stuck his head into the room.  Samantha immediately stood up but she did it too quickly and she felt dizzy.  In a flash, Joshua was by her side.  He caught her before she fell.

          “Are you all right?”  Genuine concern flooded his voice as he laid her down onto her bed.

          “I’ll be fine.  Thank you.”  Samantha said weakly.

          “You took quite the hit earlier today.  I just came to see how you were feeling.”  Joshua smiled slightly.    

          “I appreciate it.”  She smiled back.  The conversation sounded strained and Joshua was surprised that she even let him into her room let alone talk to her.  There was an uncomfortable silence between the two.

          “So you’re going to Hero College.”  Samantha finally said.

          “Yes, I leave in about two weeks.”  Was all Joshua offered. 

          “Your mom said you had a few weeks before you left.”  She said.

          “Well, she didn’t look at the calendar very well.”  There was a hint of anger in his voice. 

          “I want to…”  Samantha stopped.  Joshua looked at her.  Swallowing hard, she continued.

          “I want to say that I’m sorry.” 

          “It isn’t that simple.  You called me a liar and told me to never speak to you again.  I didn’t come here to makeup.  You hurt me.”  The anger and volume in his voice grew.

          “What I did is inexcusable.  I don’t want you to go and not have the chance to tell how bad I feel.”  Samantha tried to keep her emotions in check. 

          “I’m going away because I can’t stand to be here anymore.”  Joshua told her flatly.  “There is nothing keeping me here.”  That last statement cut Samantha deep but she felt that she deserved his contempt.

          “Somehow I think your parents would disagree.”  Amanda said from the door.  She had over heard their loud conversation.  Joshua didn’t say a word as he stood up and left the room.  Amanda came over to her daughter and gave her a hug.  She could feel tears dripping onto shoulder. 

          “Its all right.”  Amanda tried to comfort Samantha.

          “No, it’s not!  Joshua hates me and I don’t blame him.  I hate myself.”  The distraught girl said.  Amanda knew that arguing about it wouldn’t help the situation and she just held onto her until the tears stopped coming.  Then she told Samantha to get some rest.

          Amanda closed Samantha’s door and walked out to the living room.  Robbie was sitting in his favorite orange fuzzy chair.  The look on his face displayed his feelings.

          “So what do we do?”  He asked obviously upset.

          “We made this mess and by the looks of things we’re going to have to undo it.  First thing, I’m going to do is call Stephanie.”  Amanda told him.

* * *

          Samantha rolled over and looked at her clock.  The bright green digits told her it was one in the morning.  She got out of bed and went over to her closet.  There she pulled a large purple duffel bag out and began to fill it with clothing.  Once that was full, she grabbed her sleeping bag and her pillow.  A slight smile crossed her face as she picked up her teddy bear.                                     

“It looks like its just you and me now Teddy.”  Samantha whispered, giving the small yellow bear a squeeze.  Carefully she put him inside her duffel bag and made her way to the side entrance. 

          Samantha slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and bungeed her pillow and sleeping bag together.  Then she took the roll and placed it under her arm.  Quietly, she opened the door and stepped out into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**August 17, 2022 at 10:00 am**

          Amanda knocked on Samantha’s bedroom door.  When no one answered she opened the door and said,

          “Sweetie, time to get up.  We…”  she didn’t finish her sentence.  Samantha’s bed was empty.  Quickly, Amanda raced down the hall.  Samantha wasn’t in the bathroom either. 

          “Robbie!”  She screamed.  Her husband came running at the sound of his wife shouting. 

          “What’s wrong?”  He asked.

          “Samantha isn’t in her bed and she isn’t in the bathroom.”  Amanda said getting very upset.

          “Did you check the rest of the house?”  Robbie asked.  His wife shook her head no.  Quickly, the two made a thorough search of the house.  It was when they came up empty that Amanda began to really panic.  Robbie ran to the phone.

          “Scheving residence, this is Stephanie.”

          “Stephanie, Samantha is missing.”  Robbie spewed into the receiver.

          “We’ll be right over.”  She promised.  As fast as she could, Stephanie raced down the hall and grabbed Sportacus and Joshua.

          “We have to get over to Robbie and Amanda’s.  Samantha is missing.”  She explained.  Sportacus looked shocked but quickly he regained his composure. 

          “Let’s go!”  He shouted.

* * *

           When they arrived Amanda and Robbie were practically falling apart.  Captain Dogooder was there along with some police officers.

          “We’re starting to setup search parties.  I have some dogs trying to pick up her scent.”  Dogooder explained.    

          “All right.  I’m going to get up in the airship and see if I can spot her from above.”  Sportacus said.

          “Great.”  Captain Dogooder started.  “You know that the first twenty four hours are critical in searching for her.  What do you suggest if you can’t see her from the airship?” 

          “As soon as I have an idea, I’ll let you know.  What channel are you guys on?”  The above average hero asked.

          “Channel 3.”  Dogooder replied. 

          “Come on son.”  Sportacus said turning to Joshua.  At first the boy didn’t move but his father grabbed him and dragged him over toward the airship.  The two climbed up the ladder and entered the airship.

          “Door!”  Sportacus commanded.  The door came down and he ran out onto it.  He grabbed his spyglass and looked around LazyTown.  Joshua said in the control seat and listened to the radio broadcasts.  Well he wasn’t exactly listening to the radio.  He was thinking about the horrible things he had said to Samantha the night before. 

          Sportacus sighed.  He couldn’t see Sam anywhere.  Quickly, he ran inside and decided to fly the airship over LazyTown and the surrounding areas.  Hopefully, this search would be more fruitful.

          “Joshua, I need to fly the airship.”  The above average hero said.  His son moved from the cockpit and grabbed the spyglass.  Sportacus began to pedal and Joshua began to search. 

* * *

          Samantha sat down on a fallen log.  She hadn’t thought out what she was going to do after running away and her feet hurt.  Reaching into her duffel bag, Samantha pulled out an apple. 

          _At least I was smart enough to grab some food before I left_ , she thought to herself, _of course that was because they were on the table.  Well at least it couldn’t get any worse._   Suddenly, she felt something hit her nose.  Samantha reached her right hand up to her nose and realized that it was wet.  Turning her head toward the sky, she saw the clouds had turned a dark gray color and the sun was slowly disappearing behind them.  The rain slowly began to pick up and Samantha looked around for shelter.

          “Well its official.  The world hates me.”  She said flatly to the clouds.  Knowing the best place to be in a rainstorm was not the forest; Samantha began to walk deeper into the woods hoping to find a cave or something.         


	6. Chapter 6

**August 17, 2022 at 1:00 pm**

          Sportacus reported to the police that he couldn’t find her and that the increasing bad weather was forcing him to abandon the air search.  He and Joshua quickly parked the airship and climbed down the ladder.  The two ran toward the search team’s headquarters. 

          While his parents and Samantha’s parents talked to Captain Dogooder about the next course of action, Joshua had this horrible feeling in his stomach.  Samantha was out there somewhere in this weather.  He overheard Captain Dogooder saying that the woods needed to be combed through but that with the rain the search would be very difficult especially since the trees were too dense to see through from the air. 

          _It might be difficult for them but not me,_ Joshua thought.  Quietly, the soon-to-be–hero got up from his seat and walked away from the search team’s headquarters.  He would find Samantha himself.

* * *

          The rain continued to soak the forest.  Samantha was surprised that the dense forest let that much rain through.  She slipped and fell in the mud.  Soon she was covered head to toe with muck.  Luckily, her duffel bad was lined on the inside and her clothes stayed dry but her sleeping bag and pillow were soaked. 

          Samantha came to a clearing and saw there was a cottage.  Quickly, she ran to the door and pounded on it. 

          “Is someone there?  Can you let me in?”  When no one answered, she tried the door.  Finding it locked, she ran around the house until she found a window.  It looked as if it had been broken by something but she needed to find somewhere to get dry so she found a stick and tried to remove the remaining glass.

          Once this was done, she flung her bag and sleeping bag roll through.  Samantha then managed to lift herself up and squeeze herself in through the window.  Tumbling to the floor, her eyes adjusted to the darkness.  Carefully the ten year old stood up and walked toward a nearby wall. 

          There she found a light switch and flipped it up.  The light bulb dimly lit the room but it would be enough to see around.  Samantha walked back over to her belongings and grabbed up the soaking wet sleeping bag and pillow.  Quickly, she opened up the sleeping bag and looked for something to throw it over so it could dry. 

          Towards the center of the room was a cage of some sort.  It seemed odd but by the amount of dust and cobwebs, whoever had been there hadn’t been around in awhile.  However the cage was very dirty and she didn’t want to get her only blanket to be dirty and wet.  Placing the sleeping bag over her duffel, Samantha pulled her wet and muddy shirt off.  Using it as a dust cloth, she cleaned the cage off and placed her sleeping bag over the cage.

          The next step was to try to dry her pillow off.  There was a stool in the corner of the room and she figured that would do.  Again using her shirt as a dust cloth, she cleaned the stool and put her pillow on it. 

          With her shirt off, Samantha began to shiver she was wet and cold.  Grabbing her duffel bag, she opened it and pulled out some clothes.  She smiled, as all the clothes were dry.  Seeing a doorknob, she hung the strap of the bag over it so the bag would dry. 

          Quickly she stripped off her wet clothes and slipped on a dry outfit.  Warmer now, Samantha decided to investigate what was behind the door.  She was pleasantly surprised to find it was a bathroom.  Placing the remainder of her dry clothes on the sink counter, Samantha threw her dirty clothes into the sink.  Silently she prayed that there was still water running through the pipes as she turned the knob on the faucet.  Something began to flow out of the faucet and it didn’t look like water.  She slammed her fist against the spigot and the brown liquid turned clear.  A broad smile crossed her face and she washed her dirty clothes.  


	7. Chapter 7

While Samantha was settling herself in, Joshua was running through the streets of LazyTown.  The rain stung as it hit his skin and clothes but ignored it.  Joshua kept thinking about what he had said and how he’d never forgive himself if something happened to Samantha.

          Soon he was entering the forest.  Thunder rumbled overhead and the sixteen year old knew that lightening would soon follow.  Being under trees wasn’t the greatest idea but Samantha could be in the same predicament so Joshua continued. 

          She turned over the sofa cushions and put them back down.  Samantha figured that she rather sit on the clean side of the cushions instead of the dirty ones.  Outside the rain pelted the cottage.  Strangely, she felt safe in the building.  Noticing that water was coming in through the broken window, Samantha decided to look for something to put over it. 

          Making a sweep of the room she was currently in, the ten year old found that the room didn’t contain anything useful.  Moving into the bathroom, Samantha saw bath towels but there wasn’t anything to tack them up with.  That and they would get wet and not keep the water out.  Opening the bathroom cupboards, she found some black garbage bags.  They would work if she could find something to keep them over the window. 

          Bringing the bags out into the living room, Samantha decided to check out the upstairs.  Thunder continued to rumble and she was starting to get nervous.  Grabbing her teddy bear, Samantha walked up the stairs.                                                                                           

Joshua was making good headway through the trees as lightening struck.  He immediately hit the forest floor.  It was better to lie face down than seek shelter under a tree.  However, he regretted it.  Standing back up, Joshua realized he was now covered in mud.  Wet, muddy, and cold, he continued. 

          Through the trees, he could see a clearing.  Joshua knew that he would have to be careful as another bolt of lightening struck and he once again hit the mud.  Again he stood up and walked to the edge of the clearing. 

          Inside the clearing was a small cottage.  A dim light was emitted from the windows and he decided he could seek shelter there until the lightening stopped.  Quickly, he ran to the door and pounded on it.

          Samantha smiled as she had found something in the hall closet to keep the black bags over the window.  A roll of duct tape would suit her just fine.  Quickly, she headed back down the stairs.

          Getting over to the window, Samantha pulled on the duct tape and checked to see how long a piece she would need.  She reached up and held the roll near the top of the window.  Pulling the tape to the right place, she used her teeth and ripped the piece off.  Quickly, she taped the top of the bag to the top of the window.  Then she attached two of the sides to the window frame.  Unfortunately, one bag wasn’t big enough and she grabbed another bag.  This one she taped to the windowsill and the window frame.  Carefully she pulled a piece that would be long enough to put the two bags together.  Holding the bags and taping would be a trick in itself.  That’s when she heard someone pounding on the door.   

          “Is anybody there?”  Came a voice that she immediately recognized.  _How did he find me?_   She asked herself.  Again he banged on the door and Samantha quickly went to open it.  As she opened the door, she didn’t know what to expect. 

          Joshua quickly stepped inside.  He didn’t look up as she shut the door.  Wiping the water from his eyes, the sixteen year old looked up.  No words came to his lips, as he couldn’t believe who stood in front of him.

          “Hello Joshua.”  Samantha said.  


	8. Chapter 8

Joshua’s eyes were very large as Samantha expected him to say something.  All that came from the soon-to-be-hero’s mouth was,

          “Uh…”

          “Come on lets get you dried off.”  Samantha said.  “Then we can talk.”  Her window chore was forgotten for the moment as Joshua followed her into the bathroom.  Grabbing a clean towel from inside the cupboard, she handed it to him.  Silence filled the room and she left him take care of himself.

          On the couch, Samantha picked up the roll of duct tape from where she had flung it next to her teddy bear.  Quickly, she grabbed the bear and hid him inside her drying duffel.  Then she returned to her window task.

          The black bags were pretty close together and she hoped that she could get the tape across and seal up the gap between them before too much more water came in.  While she was struggling with the tape, Joshua came out of the bathroom.  He saw her fighting with her window setup and came over to her.  Without saying a word her put his hand on hers and helped her put the tape over the bags. 

          His movements shocked Samantha.  She thought for sure that he would be upset with her and yell or something.  Looking at him, she realized he had taken off his shirt and had a towel around his waist. 

          “You’re going to catch cold.”  Samantha said. 

          “I don’t see what else I can do.”  Joshua smiled slightly.

          “Come on let’s sit on the couch.”  She offered.  He walked over and sat down.  Samantha went into the bathroom and grabbed an extra towel.  Handing it to Joshua, she said,

          “My sleeping bag isn’t dry yet so you’ll have to use this to keep warm.”

          “Thanks.  Listen I want to apologize.  I shouldn’t have said what I did the other day.  I was angry.”  He told her. 

          “I deserved it.  I was way out of line.  I should’ve believed you when you told me you didn’t know anything.  I…”  Joshua put his finger to her lips. 

          “It’s ok.  You were under a lot of stress.  It’s not your fault.”

          “Yes, it is.  I know you would never lie to me.  You are my best and closest friend.  I’m so sorry.  Running away wasn’t the brightest idea either.”  Samantha sighed.  Joshua wrapped his muscular arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. 

          “We both said things we didn’t really mean and we both acted irresponsibly.  I’m sure my parents have noticed that I’m not there and they are probably looking for me now too.”  He said.

          “Are you blocking your father?”  She asked.

          “Yes.  I wanted to sort everything out with you before they yell at us.”  Joshua smiled.

_Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round…_

 Samantha stood up.  She wasn’t sure what to do.  Something inside of her screamed that it shouldn’t be this easy.

_Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears…_          

Joshua could feel her hesitance.  

_Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by_ _…_          

“Those two months that we didn’t talk, I couldn’t forgive myself for what I said.  I don’t see how you could be forgiving me so easily.”  Samantha said. 

_Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes…_          

“Samantha, I care about you.  For two months I was angry and hurt.  I couldn’t believe that you did what you did but I realized that I care too much to just let you go.”  Joshua told her. 

_Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart, Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart…_          

“I thought I cared about you but if I could call you a liar then how much do I really care?”  She asked him. 

_And I need you now tonight…  And I need you more than ever…  And if you only hold me tight…_      

“If you didn’t care about me, you wouldn’t have run away.”  He pointed out. 

_We'll be holding on forever, And we'll only be making it right, Cause we'll never be wrong together…_          

“You ran away because I said a very hurtful thing and you still care for me.  I drove you away.”  Joshua continued.  

_We can take it to the end of the line, Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time, all of the time, I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark…_          

“I drove you away first.”  She said. 

_We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks, I really need you tonight, Forever's gonna start tonight, Forever's gonna start tonight…_          

Joshua stood up from the couch and put his hands on her shoulders.  He looked into her hazel eyes. 

_Once upon a time I was falling in love, But now I'm only falling apart, There's nothing I can do…_          

“Samantha you have to stop blaming yourself.  I…”  She cut him off. 

_A total eclipse of the heart, Once upon a time there was light in my life, But now there's only love in the dark…_          

“Why didn’t you chase me?”  A look of surprise crossed Joshua’s face. 

_Nothing I can say, A total eclipse of the heart…  (Instrumental break)_          

“I watched you walk away because I thought you needed time to cool down.  I didn’t want to risk making the situation worse.”  He told her. 

_Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart, Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart, And I need you now tonight…_                    

“I need you Samantha.”  Joshua finished. 

_And I need you more than ever, And if you'll only hold me tight, We'll be holding on forever…_          

“Hold me and tell me that we’ll never be this stupid again.”  Samantha said. 

_And we'll only be making it right, Cause we'll never be wrong together, We can take it to the end of the line…_          

“I promise that we’ll never do something this stupid.”  Joshua said as he pulled her to him.   

_Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time, all of the time, I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark, We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks…_          

The two stood there in each other’s arms not moving.   

_I really need you tonight, Forever's gonna start tonight, Forever's gonna start tonight…_


	9. Chapter 9

**August 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm**

          Joshua could see Samantha’s eyes getting heavy.  She had been awake for eighteen hours and it was beginning to show.  Carefully, he let her lay down on the sofa and he went into the bathroom. 

          Joshua continued the mental block on his father while he checked out his clothes.  They were almost dry but still covered in mud.  He decided to try to brush them off and put them back on.  Hopefully he’d be warmer in them than he was in the towels.

          Despite the messy state of his clothes, Joshua felt better.  Some of the mud had come off and now he could see how his sneakers were doing.  Silently, he walked over to the door and bent down to touch them.  Unfortunately, they were still soaking wet.  Joshua grimaced at the idea of having to put them back on. 

          Walking back over to Samantha, he saw that she wasn’t asleep.  She smiled at him and sat up.

          “You should probably get some sleep.”  Joshua said.

          “I can’t.  I guess I’m just nervous about what my Mom and Dad are going to do when we get back.”  Samantha replied. 

          “Yeah, I’m sure that things aren’t going to go well when we do go back.”  He sighed.  The sixteen year old sat back down next to her and she put her head on his shoulder.

          “At least you got some of the mud off of your clothes.”  She said trying to point out something positive. 

          “Yeah and it looks like the rain is slowing down.”  Joshua smiled.  He turned his head and kissed the top of hers. 

          “And we’ve settled our problems.”  Samantha started.  “Well almost all of them.” 

          “I’ve been thinking about that.  There is another option but I don’t know if Dad knows about it.”  He said.

          “What kind of other option?”  She asked.

          “Well I was talking to my counselor at Hero College and he said that if I wanted, Dad could teach me to be a hero.”  Joshua said.

          “You wouldn’t have to leave?”  Samantha asked.

          “No and the college said that I could still get my certification too.”  He smiled.

          “Something doesn’t sound right about that?  Don’t colleges usually want money?”  She wondered. 

          “Actually, Hero College is a non-profit organization.  They don’t expect money because what they are doing is going to help society.  Heroes fight for truth, justice, honor, and liberty so there isn’t any money in that.”  Joshua explained.

          “So how do you guys manage to live?”  Samantha asked.

          “Well my Mom will teach dance classes at the dance studio and fill in occasionally down at the community college for some history classes.  Dad teaches Tae Kwon Do to police recruits.”  He told her.  Samantha nodded thoughtfully and said,

          “I suppose you’d better do your thing and let him know where we are, huh?”  Joshua just shrugged.  He was about to answer her when he heard something.  Putting his right index finger to his lips, he motioned for Samantha to be quiet.  She nodded and slowly got up off the couch.  Joshua moved to an unbroken window and looked out.  There were figures moving among the trees.  Quickly, the soon-to-be-hero focused his abilities on them. 

       _What is it?_ Samantha mouthed.  Joshua turned to her.  


	10. Chapter 10

Sportacus turned to Stephanie and motioned with his head that he wanted to speak to her privately.  The two moved away from the others and talked.

          “Joshua is blocking me.  I can’t get through to him.  I’m going out there.  My guess is that he is out looking for Sam in the woods.”  Sportacus said.

          “Well why haven’t we moved?  He’s been gone since just after one o’clock.”  Stephanie asked.

          “I’m going now.  The storm is over and there is no more lightening threatening to fry me.”  The above average hero made a sarcastic remark.

          “Don’t get like that.”  His wife snapped back.

          “I’m sorry.  I just don’t want the kids to get hurt.”  Sportacus said.

          “Neither do I.  I love Joshua and Samantha too.”  Stephanie smiled slightly.  The two embraced. 

          “I’m going to find them.”  He promised as he kissed her forehead.  Then the above average hero left her and the search team’s headquarters.

* * *

“It’s just a couple of deer.  I think we should get your stuff together and get out of here.  We could make it back to town before it gets dark.”  Joshua told her as he turned away from the window.

          “You hoping that will be better for both of us?”  Samantha asked as she moved toward the bathroom. 

          “Yeah that and this place gives me the creeps.”  He raised his voice so she could hear him.

          “Really?  Why is that?”  The ten year old wondered as she walked back out of the bathroom with her clothes in hand.

          “I don’t know.  There’s just something about it.”  Joshua said as he looked at her sleeping bag.  “This is still pretty wet.” 

          “Well my pillow is almost dry.  I guess we’ll have to roll the sleeping bag back up.  Unless you want to carry it open like that.”  Samantha suggested as she stuffed her things into the now dry duffel bag.

          “No, that’s all right.  I’ll roll it up.”  He said.  The two worked in silence for a few minutes until everything was ready to go. 

          “Got your clothes?”  Joshua asked.

          “Check!”  Samantha smiled.

          “Got your pillow?”  He asked.

          “Check!”  She answered. 

          “Got your teddy bear?”  The sixteen year old smiled.

          “Check!”  Samantha said without realizing what the question was.  She thought about what he said for a second before turning red. 

          “And I got the sleeping bag.  Let’s get going.”  Joshua stifled a laugh and went about slipping on his still wet sneakers. 

          “Ewww.”  Samantha scrunched up her nose at the sound of him squishing in his shoes.  Joshua rolled his eyes and the two made their way out the door of the cottage.  The two quibbled whether or not they should lock the door but since they had found it locked they both decided that they should lock it again.  That matter settled the two set out into the forest back towards LazyTown.  


	11. Chapter 11

**August 17, 2022 at 8:30 pm**

          Sportacus entered the forest.  The sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky as the last golden days of summer were ending.  He still had at least thirty minutes before the dense forest would be too dark. 

          Joshua and Samantha walked further away from the cottage and tried to avoid the muddiest parts of the undergrowth.  It was tough going but they were moving at a decent rate.  Joshua looked toward the treetops to see that it was getting darker.

          “Samantha, we need to pick up speed if we can.”  He said.

          “All right, how much farther do you think?”  She asked. 

          “Don’t worry.  It’s not too much farther until we’re out of the forest.”  Joshua smiled trying not to make her nervous.  She smiled back and the two began to walk faster.  The mud tugged at their sneakers and threatened to pull them down but the two kids were up to the challenge. 

          Sportacus continued to crash through the underbrush.  The mud was trying to slow him down but he wouldn’t let it.  He hoped that he would find the kids in time.  Joshua was still blocking him but he knew that neither one was in trouble because his crystal remained silent.  Inside Sportacus could feel his emotions trying to get the better of him.  The above average hero was angry that his son just rushed out headlong without thinking.  If Joshua got either he or Sam hurt…  Sportacus shook those thoughts from his head.  Joshua was smart and he was capable of handling anything that came his way.

The two friends weaved their way in between the trees.  However as Samantha moved around a rock, she could feel her foot slipping in the mud.  She tried to stop herself from falling and when it looked like she was about to take a mud bath, Joshua was at her side in an instant and grabbed her.  Helping her stand up straight, he asked,

          “Are you ok?”  

          “Yeah, thanks.”  She smiled.  Without saying a word, Joshua took her right hand and laced his fingers through hers.  When she didn’t refuse his actions, he said optimistically,  

          “Come on.  We’re almost there.”  Samantha nodded and Joshua took her pillow and laced together with her sleeping bag before the two moved on.  Soon they heard someone calling their names.

          “Samantha!  Joshua!”  Sportacus yelled.  He hoped that they could hear him.  The above average hero continued to move through the mud and the underbrush, calling the kids’ names as he went.  He could see two figures ahead of him.

          Joshua saw someone in the woods and quickly squeezed Samantha’s hand.  She looked at him and was about to open her mouth and say something when she heard a voice call their names.

          “Samantha!  Joshua!”  The sixteen year old immediately recognized who it was. 

          “Dad!”  Joshua shouted in reply.  Within seconds the above average hero appeared.  He looked at the two kids.  They both expected him to get angry with them.  They expected he’d read them the riot act.  But that never happened.  Sportacus merely said,

          “It’s time to come home.”  The tone of his voice was stern.  This time Samantha squeezed Joshua’s hand.  He made a weak smile and the two followed behind Sportacus.

          Finally, the three reached the edge of the forest.  The sun was dipping lower in the sky as they left the cover of the trees and sunset wouldn’t be too far behind.  They continued their journey to the search team’s headquarters in silence.  Joshua and Samantha still held each others hands tightly.  They would face their punishment together.     


	12. Chapter 12

The three arrived at the search team’s headquarters.  Immediately, Captain Dogooder had the search called off and told the police officers to return to the station.  Amanda and Robbie rushed over to Samantha.

          “We were so worried about you.  Why did you run away?”  Her mother asked.

          “I’m sorry that was a stupid thing to do.”  Samantha answered.

          “We’re glad that Sportacus found you.  What were you thinking?”  Robbie asked.

          “Joshua found me and I wasn’t thinking.  I…”  She didn’t get a chance to finish. 

          “Its my fault.  Don’t be too hard on her.”  Joshua interrupted.  Everyone turned to him and he continued.

          “I said some things to Samantha that I shouldn’t have and she was upset.” 

          “That doesn’t excuse either one of you.  I thought you were ready to go to Hero College but obviously I was wrong.”  Sportacus looked sternly at his son.  Joshua didn’t back down from his father.  He kept eye contact the whole time. 

          “I went after Samantha because it was my fault for hurting her.  All the two of us have done is hurt each other over the past couple months and she wanted to apologize yesterday and I wouldn’t let her.  This whole thing started because you wouldn’t tell me what was going on.”  He turned and looked at Robbie and Amanda. 

“You two didn’t want to get Samantha involved in your problem but then you hurt her and my father tried to help, like he always does, and it backfired.  Samantha and I are willing to own up to our mistakes but how can you hold us accountable when you don’t hold yourselves accountable?”  Joshua’s words stung his parents and his ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’.  Samantha moved away from her parents and went to the sixteen year old’s side.  She didn’t want him to get into more trouble but Joshua wasn’t done.

“When I was younger all I wanted to do is be like you, Dad.  Later, I changed my mind.  I was confused but when you rushed off without thinking about your own safety and you saved Pixel.  No one was upset with you.  They didn’t want to punish you.  Today I rushed off without thinking and I found Samantha.  Now I stand here and you want to punish not only me but also Samantha.  Sure what she did wasn’t a good thing but it was my fault.  I corrected my mistake but will you correct yours?”  Silence followed the sixteen year old’s tirade.  He wrapped his arm around Samantha and held her close.  Finally, after a few minutes, Stephanie walked over to her son.

          “Joshua, what you did today was brash; I’m not going to deny it.  You risked your life running out into the woods with lightening striking all around.  If anything happened to you, your father and I wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves.  The same goes for Samantha and her parents.  We love you guys and we don’t want to see you get hurt.”  She said.

          “Then why did you try to ‘protect’ Samantha and I from what was going on?  We’re not stupid.”  He asked.

          “We did it because we’re your parents and we’re supposed to protect you.”  Sportacus piped in. 

          “I didn’t want Sam to know that I wasn’t always the man I am today.  I made her mother promise to never talk about it.”  Robbie admitted.

          “But Daddy, I love you no matter what you did or who you were.  You’re my father and that’s all you ever need to be.”  Samantha smiled.  She let go of Joshua and gave him a hug.  Amanda came over and hugged her husband and her daughter.  Stephanie and Sportacus gave their son a hug too. 

          “This doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook you know.  We still had the police out looking for you.”  Robbie said to Samantha after the hug was over. 

          “I understand but now that we’ve cleared the air I think the punishment will be easier to take.”  She told him.

          “Well I suppose that your father and I will have to deliver our decision tomorrow.  Its already late and we’ve all had a big day.  Lets go home and get you cleaned up.”  Amanda smiled. 

          “I can live with that.”  Samantha smiled.

          “The same goes for you, young man.”  Sportacus turned to his son. 

          “I know and I’m sure that my little speech didn’t help matters.”  Joshua said. 

          “Well, we’ll see.  Come on lets go home.  I’m pretty sure that I can smell you feet from here and that those shoes need to find a garbage can.”  Stephanie smiled.  With that the two families made their way home. 


	13. Chapter 13

**August 18, 2022 at 9:00 am**

          A sharp loud noise penetrated Joshua’s dream and he woke up.  It was his father standing in his doorway.

          “Get up, soldier!”  Joshua quickly got up and stood at attention. 

          “Get some clothes on!”  Sportacus scrunched up his face as his son rushed around and grabbed some shorts and a shirt off the floor.  As fast as he could he pulled his shorts on over his boxers and his shirt over his head. 

          “March out to the living room!”  The above average hero instructed.  Joshua did as he was told. 

          “Your father and I have made a decision and as you can see I think he’s enjoying this way too much.”  Stephanie smiled. 

          “I guess so.”  Joshua smiled back. 

          “We have decided that you will not be leaving for Hero College in two weeks.  We’ve already informed the school and they have agreed with your father’s plan.”  His mother informed him and then continued. 

          “Starting today you will breathe, eat, and sleep how and when your father tells you.  In order to become a hero you will be put through the most rigorous testing both mentally and physically.”

          “I intend to have you completely trained by the year 2025.”  Sportacus smirked.

          “That’s less than three years from now.”  Joshua’s eyes went wide.

          “I know.  Think of it as tough love.  What I accomplished in four years, I will try to make you do in a little over three.  This means training through all seasons and all sorts of weather.  You will be instructed six days a week.  Just because your junior year starts in September doesn’t mean that your training will stop.  You will come home from school and you will immediately do your homework and then I will instruct you for three hours a night.  To put it as one of my instructor’s once did, ‘Your ass is mine.’”  The above average hero explained.  The words of his double passed through his head, ‘Remember if something doesn’t change Joshua will be gone.’  It was Sportacus’ intend to train him so his son would be around for a long time.

* * *

          Over in the ex-lair, Samantha wasn’t having an easier time.  Her parents had shaken her out of bed too.  Now she was reading a list of chores that she would be doing for the next six months. 

          “Clean your room, clean the kitchen, scrub the bathroom top to bottom, repaint the workshop.  Repaint the workshop?  What kind of torture is this?”  She asked.

          “That’s just the front of the sheet.”  Amanda said.  Samantha’s jaw dropped as she flipped the sheet over. 

“5) Dust the living room (including the inside and outside of the tubes)

 6) Oil the squeaky hinges on the side entrance and tube top

 7) Replace the light bulbs in the tube

 8) Wash the laundry (at least 2 loads a day)

 9) Do the dishes, unloading and reloading the dishwasher whenever necessary

10) Vacuum the carpets (once a week)

11) Do anything else we tell you to do” 

          Samantha muttered under her breath as she immediately got to work.  It was going to be a long six months but she could deal with it. 

**The End**


End file.
